Game Mechanics: Necromancer Feign Death needs 15 min duration + 2 minute pet suicide

[tristantio]

Necromancer Feign Death history:

• Infinite duration (everlasting pet)
• 15 minute duration
• Infinite duration (2 minute suicidal pet)
• Infinite duration (everlasting pet)

The "Feign Death" spell, when cast by a Necromancer, will now have a fixed duration. 
The Necromancer will receive several warnings prior to the spell wearing off. 
This change was necessary because some Necromancers found a way to gain 
experience through their pet while being AFK for an extended duration, such as 
being in bed for the night. Note: This does not affect Shadowknights or Monks.

http://www.tski.co.jp/baldio/patch/20000217a.html

This is from a patch prior to this one (http://www.tski.co.jp/baldio/patch/20000428.html) which is a patch date we are past (being as we can no longer bind at TD firepots).


Found from http://web.archive.org/web/200106180...?Id=407&Page=2 goes with my previous findings on the issue:

This is one of those spells that I ALWAYS have memorized... I'll remove gate if I have to but I'll keep this spell memed as my last defense. I can't even begin to tell you how many times this spell has saved my life. After the recent patches you can play dead as long as you don't get up (used to be this way, then they switched it to 15 min max duration, now its back to unlimited) however, your pet WILL suicide after you play dead for 2 minutes. Eldanon Shadowwalker Necromancer of 34th Circle - The Nameless

Currently (and for as long as I can recall) on p99 we have infinite FD duration and everlasting pet.

You can also currently be FD and if the pet kills something worth XP (normally a very low light blue or high green for this to happen) you DO receive XP as a necromancer (and loot rights, yet get to avoid any faction hit), which is what I believe these old patches were meaning to address/fix.

[tristantio]

http://web.archive.org/web/200001062...tersrealm.com/

Check out the news items there:

01/04/2000

NECRO FEIGN DEATH BUG

Gordon has opened up the discussion over at the Everquest Gameplay Forum to assess player opinion on whether the bug allowing Necromancers to feign death without their pet dying should be fixed or left as is.

Seems necro pets used to die when the nec would FD? And was eventually changed as a result of a bug (also in this time frame, charmed pets would not break charm when the nec FD:

01/06/2000

TEST SERVER NEWS

Bukaru, one of our longest Test Server reporters, sent in the latest test news. The summary:

Druids are getting a tracking increase.
Charmed Necromancer pets will no longer remain loyal after casting Feign Death. Summoned pets are not being altered.

Was this ever in p99? (charmed pets staying charmed while a nec does FD)

[tristantio]

http://web.archive.org/web/200003011...tersrealm.com/

02/25/2000

TWO MINUTE PET DEATH CONFIRMED

Whilst addressing an issue in relation to Shadowknight pets, Abashi confirmed that the proposed Feign Death changes are going to be implemented with a pet duration of 2 minutes.

[Scrubosaur]

Is it possible for a necro to FD and get experience via pet? If so, then is the exp penalty for letting a pet do 100% of the damage wrong? And if there is no way for a necro to get any exp from pet killing a mob then this is probably a null fix since that was the reason for its creation.

[tristantio]

Originally Posted by Scrubosaur [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Is it possible for a necro to FD and get experience via pet? If so, then is the exp penalty for letting a pet do 100% of the damage wrong? And if there is no way for a necro to get any exp from pet killing a mob then this is probably a null fix since that was the reason for its creation.

Hey Scrub, pet history on p99 has been (I believe this is 100% accurate):

• No penalty if caster does a point of damage
• If caster does 0% to 49% damage, split XP 50/50 with pet

We're at the second one (if your pet can solo something without you damaging it, you get full xp).

[Haynar]

I thought live would drop summoned sk pets after 2 min at one point.

I cannot remember for sure.

But I remember something about hoping to clear aggro before lost pet.

H

[tristantio]

Originally Posted by Haynar [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I thought live would drop summoned sk pets after 2 min at one point.

I cannot remember for sure.

But I remember something about hoping to clear aggro before lost pet.

H

I never had a sk high enough for FD back in the day, but notes seem to indicate it was targetted just at necs (unless shd's got scooped up in the same patch by mistake).

[Scrubosaur]

But if you are FD pet does not get aggro from mobs. So how are you supposed to AFK feign death and have your pet attack mobs (let alone kill solo - my pet usually can't handle a green).

[Grimjaw]

Originally Posted by Scrubosaur [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

But if you are FD pet does not get aggro from mobs. So how are you supposed to AFK feign death and have your pet attack mobs (let alone kill solo - my pet usually can't handle a green).

"/pet guard here" is suppose to make your pet actually GUARD the area, and attack anything on sight. Not just "Pet Stand here". /pet guard here needed to be used VERY carefully!!

[Jimjam]

Originally Posted by Grimjaw [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

"/pet guard here" is suppose to make your pet actually GUARD the area, and attack anything on sight. Not just "Pet Stand here". /pet guard here needed to be used VERY carefully!!

I played a couple of necromancers very early in my eq career. Not to particularly high level, but I did use pets. I remember reading about pet guard here in the kunark manual, but to my disappointment it didn't seem to do anything differently to /pet stand here ... I was hoping it would crump passing pathers.

Perhaps the command didn't kick in until higher levels, or the pet had a tiny aggro radius at low levels. To me it felt like either a command that had never worked, or a mechanic which had been removed before kunark dropped in UK.